RIYADH, 5 November — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday lashed out at the US media smear campaign, accusing the newspapers of trying to drive a wedge between the Kingdom and the United States. "The newspapers that are writing about us (Muslims) and the Kingdom are all paid for that," Prince Abdullah told a gathering of education officials in a speech broadcast on state television.
The crown prince quoted US President George W. Bush as telling him in a telephone conversation that such reports sought to "break the ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States and to damage the Kingdom’s reputation."
"President Bush phoned me. He began the conversation by saying that he was sorry. I said, ‘for what Mr. President’? He replied, ‘for what is carried by the newspapers which are trying to drive a wedge between the Kingdom and America and damage its reputation.
‘We will not accept this and I will not accept it, and most American people will not accept it’," the crown prince quoted the president as telling him during the telephone conversation.
"I told the president that newspapers had attributed their reports to some officials. He replied, ‘this I know, I am now looking for them and when I find them things will be straightened out’."
"My brethren, I wanted to inform you about what happened between your government and the American administration so that you are aware that your government is alert to the situation...," the crown prince said, adding that the Kingdom was responding, but silently.
Saudi Arabia has pledged to help the United States in its efforts to eradicate "terrorism" and repeatedly condemned the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The crown prince said the Kingdom, which is home to Islam’s two holiest shrines, would continue to uphold the rights of Arabs and Muslims.
"The rights of the Kingdom, Arabs and Muslims is our primary goal. God willing, we will live and die maintaining this supreme goal, because the Islamic faith is the cornerstone of Arab pride," the crown prince said. "We will never compromise or make concessions over these goals, our religion and homeland," he said.
"I would like to emphasize that your government under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd will not accept any bargain on two points: the religion and nation."
Referring to international events, the crown prince said: "We hope that God will protect us from what is still going to happen. But, God willing, as long as we hold to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, only good things will happen to us."
The reception was attended by Higher Education Minister Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari, Education Minister Dr. Muhammad Al-Rasheed, Dr. Ali Al-Murshid, head of the Presidency for Girls Education, and other senior officials.
A number of senior female education officials also attended the function through a closed-circuit television. Prince Abdullah later answered questions from a section of the audience including women. In his addressed to the gathering, Education Minister Al-Rasheed said the country’s students and teachers would stand by the government. He commended the government’s generous support for the education sector.
